Thailand Videos - Pattaya, Bangkok, Kohsamui, Phuket

One of the key Thai festivals on the annual calendar, Loi Krathong, took place on Monday evening, Bangkok's populace heading in droves for the water to light candles nestling on small "rafts" (Krathong) that are then gently lowered into the river, wishes are made, the hopes and dreams of city dwellers, along with any bad luck, consigned with a flourish for safekeeping to the dark swirling waters of the Chao Phraya River which winds like a giant, lazy snake through the heart of Bangkok. I start tonights adventure at the southern end of the city where the BTS line crosses the river, and I get a quick idea what is in store when I try to squeeze onto the Skytrain at Siam, which is packed to the rafters, not the norm for the post rush hour. Alighting from the spur line at Saphan Taksin Station where the BTS disgorges passengers before skimming over the Chao Phraya on the Taksin Bridge, I am immediately and, but less unexpectedly by now, thrust into a huge scrum of people. I was expecting it to be busy here as this one of the key transport hubs where the BTS meets the river, but its really, really busy. Getting down to the Sathorn Pier it is a case of filing slowly along past stall after stall of Krathong makers selling their wares, people behind the tables busily crafting these intricate arrangements, as buyers flock around, with the skill and dexterity of a lifetime of experience. The Krathongs themselves are mostly around ten inches across with a base tightly fashioned out of banana leaves, a commodity widely used in city life, and intricately decorated with flowers and leaves, topped by candles. Loi Krathong is held annually on the full moon that falls in the twelfth month of the traditional Thai calendar, November, and the festival which has been celebrated for hundreds of years. It seems to have originated from India and at some distant point it was reshaped for Buddhist consumption here. Over the years Loi Krathong has evolved into one of the key highlights on the calendar, Thais using the occasion of the launching the little rafts to bring good luck, banish bad luck and pay homage to the Goddess of Water, Phra Mae Khongkha. She brings purity and so launching the Krathongs washes away a person's bad points, anger, grudges and so on, with some people attaching hair or fingernails to symbolise the renewable points of the body. Incense sticks are also often attached. The river boats leave every five minutes from the pier under Saphan Taksin taking you on a swift journey up river, I guess of around 4-5 km or so, to a location opposite the imposing Wat Arun Temple, before whisking everyone quickly back to the same jetty. The crowds surge onto the boat and it speeds up river. One can never tire of the Chao Phraya River at night, all the buildings are lit up superbly, a mass of colours: lighting is one of the keys in this city. Searchlights pick out towering buildings that cluster around the waterfront, the undersides of huge river bridges are backlit creating scenes reminiscent of a Batman movie, and all the temples and key buildings are bathed in bright lights.